Mechanisms for scheduling outbound calls from call centers

ABSTRACT

Communications channels between systems can be managed such that unnecessary use of the channels is limited. A computer system can initiate a request to establish communications channels between a client device and the computer system. A notification is sent to the client device, which causes the client device to prompt the user to either accept the request or reschedule the requested establishing of the communications channel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of and claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 17/098,641, filed onNov. 16, 2020, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S.application Ser. No. 16/367,369, filed on Mar. 28, 2019, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,855,842, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Application Ser. No. 62/650,754, filed on Mar. 30, 2018, the entirecontents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods formanaging the establishment of communication channels between systems.

BACKGROUND

A call center is a centralized office used for receiving or transmittinga large volume of requests by telephone. An inbound call center isoperated by a company to administer incoming product support orinformation inquiries from customers.

An organization may use any number of computing systems, communicationsnetworks, data storage devices, or other types of systems to provideservice to individuals. An organization may also employ servicerepresentatives that use the various systems to assist individuals inservice sessions that are conducted over the telephone, in a videoconference, through text chat sessions, in person, and/or over othercommunication channels.

SUMMARY

The disclosure describes systems and methods for managing theestablishment of communications channels between computing devices. Acomputer system (e.g., operated by a customer service representative)initiates a request to establish a communications channel between thecomputer system and a client device (e.g., a mobile device). Anotification relating to the request is broadcasted to the clientdevice. Upon receiving the notification, a user of the client devicecan, using the client device, either accept the request to establish thecommunications channel or schedule the establishment of thecommunications channel for another time.

In general, innovative aspects of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in methods, computer systems, and computerprogram products.

In at least one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implementedmethod for managing communications channels is provided. The methodincludes initiating, by a computer system, a request to establish acommunications channel between the computer system and a client device.The method includes broadcasting, in response to the initiation of therequest, a notification to the client device that when received by theclient device causes the client device to render a graphical userinterface with a first visual representation and second visualrepresentation. The first visual representation prompts a user of theclient device to accept the request to establish the communicationschannel and the second visual representation prompts the user toschedule the establishing of the communications channel for anothertime. The first graphical user interface prompts the user of the clientdevice to select the first or second visual representations. The methodincludes establishing, when the computer system receives selection dataspecifying that the user of the client device selects the first visualrepresentation, the communications channel between the computer systemand the client device. The method includes causing, when the computersystem receives selection data specifying that the user of the clientdevice selects the second visual representation, display of one or morethird visual representations that prompt the user of the client deviceto select a time in which the establishing of the communications channelis scheduled.

Broadcasting the notification to the client device can includebroadcasting the notification to a mobile application on the clientdevice. The notification can include a push notification. Establishingthe communications channel between the computer system and the clientdevice can include authenticating the user of the client device.Authenticating the user of the client device can include prompting theuser of the client device to submit, through the client device, one ormore types of biometric data. The communications channel can include avoice over internet protocol communication channel.

In at least one other aspect of the present disclosure, a method forallowing a user of a client device to accept or schedule a call isprovided. The method includes the acts of receiving, on a smart deviceof a customer, a notification that a representative of an entity wouldlike to talk to the customer. The method may include the acts ofdisplaying, on the smart device, a user interface that enables the userto accept the call or schedule the call for another time.

The method can include the acts of authenticating the customer usingbiometric data and connecting the representative to the customer. Themethod can include enabling the customer to set a time for the call andnotifying a computer system of the entity of the time. At the time, thecustomer can be notified of the schedule call. At the time, an availablerepresentative can be notified of the scheduled call.

Other implementations of any of the above aspects include correspondingsystems, apparatus, and computer programs that are configured to performthe actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices. Thepresent disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage mediumcoupled to one or more processors and having instructions storedthereon, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theone or more processors to perform operations in accordance withimplementations of the methods provided herein. The present disclosurefurther provides a system for implementing the methods provided herein.The system includes one or more processors, and a computer-readablestorage medium coupled to the one or more processors having instructionsstored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more processors,cause the one or more processors to perform operations in accordancewith implementations of the methods provided herein.

Implementations of the present disclosure provide one or more of thefollowing advantages. By using the notifications, a Representative cancomfortably query the availability of a member (user), and receivereal-time feedback as to if/when the Member will be available. Thus, theRepresentative does not have to initiate a call and unnecessarily burdenthe data capabilities of the communications channel when the Member isnot available. Additionally, if the Member choses to connect to aRepresentative this way, the Member can be authenticated before thecommunications channel is established. This can add important securitymeasures to the communications channel and the computer system that therepresentative is operating.

It is appreciated that aspects and features in accordance with thepresent disclosure can include any combination of the aspects andfeatures described herein. That is, aspects and features in accordancewith the present disclosure are not limited to the combinations ofaspects and features specifically described herein, but also include anycombination of the aspects and features provided.

The details of one or more implementations of the present disclosure areset forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a representative of a companycontacting a customer.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a representative sending a notificationto a user.

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate an example of a customer accepting a call inresponse to a notification.

FIGS. 4A-B illustrate an example of a user scheduling a telephone callbased on a received notification.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a representative contacting a customerat a scheduled time.

FIGS. 6A-C illustrate an example of a customer calling therepresentative at the scheduled time.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for customer communication.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting a method for managing communicationschannels between systems.

FIG. 9 depicts an example computing system, according to implementationsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A company may need to reach out and contact a customer directly. Forexample, a financial institution may be concerned about fraud, thecustomer may have a lapsed payment method, or the customer may haveexceeded a credit limit. For a retail institution, there may be an issuewith an order. More generally, the customer may need to be informedabout a corporate decision, or an update to an existing matter (forexample, the processing of an insurance claim).

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a representative 102 of a companycontacting a customer 104. The representative 102 may attempt to callthe customer's mobile phone 106. The customer 104 may be using, forexample, a smart phone, or similar device. The smart phone may includethe ability to execute applications (apps), for example, an app providedby and/or generally associated with the company.

When receiving the call, there are many reasons why a customer may notwish to or may not be able to answer the call. The customer 104 may beaway 108 from his phone, or his phone may be away from a service area(e.g. a remote area or the phone may be set to airplane mode). Thecustomer 104 may be engaged in an activity 110 he does not wish tointerrupt. The customer 104 may be in a crowded environment 112 withlittle privacy. Or the customer 104 may not recognize the number and beunwilling to take a call from an unknown caller.

The customer 104 may later receive a voice message and may or may notreturn the company's call. If the customer calls back, he willfrequently be in contact with a different representative, potentiallyfrom a different department, that is unaware of the reason for the call.In addition to being time consuming and wasteful, this can contribute toa poor customer experience.

One mechanism that can enhance the customer experience and reduce theamount of wasted resources can include sending a notification to acustomer to which the customer can respond. For example, arepresentative may select a button or other user interface element froma portal which causes the notification to be sent to the customer. FIG.2 illustrates an example of a representative sending a notification to auser. In some implementations, the representative 202 sends anotification 208 to a customer 206. In some implementations, therepresentative 202 sends the notification using a computer system 202 a.The notification 208 may be sent, for example, to a smart phone 204 orsimilar device (such as a smart watch) associated with the customer 206.

In some implementations, the notification indicates that therepresentative 202 of the company wishes to speak to the customer 206(e.g., by establishing a communications channel between the computersystem 202 a and the smart device 204). In some implementations, thenotification 208 includes the name of the representative 202. Thenotification 208 can present the customer 206 with different options. Inthis example, the customer 206 is capable of accepting the call bypressing the accept call button 210. The customer 206 is also capable ofscheduling a call for a different time by, for example, pressing theschedule a call button 212.

In some implementations, the notification 208 includes a referencenumber or other information that can be used by a customer servicerepresentative 202 to identify the reason for the call (e.g., anincident report number). The notification 208 can also include acallback number that the smart device 204 can use to contact therepresentative directly.

In some implementations, if the customer 206 does not respond to thenotification 208 within a period of time (e.g., 5 minutes), therepresentative 202, or a computer system 202 a of the representative,sends a notification that deletes the previous notification 208 (as therepresentative is no longer available to talk). In some implementations,the second notification may delete the previous notification 208 andreplace it with a new notification that only allows the customer 206 toschedule a follow up call at another time (as discussed in more detailbelow.)

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate an example of a customer accepting a call inresponse to a notification. Referring to FIG. 3A, the customer receivesthe notification 208 on their smart device 204. The customer selectedthe accept call button 210.

Referring to FIG. 3B, in response to the customer selecting the acceptcall button 210 of FIG. 3A, the user interface of an app on the smartdevice 204 displays an authentication screen 302. In this example, theauthentication screen 302 prompts the customer 206 to provide at leastone biometric 304 (for example, a finger print). Other forms ofauthentication can also be used, for example, the system canauthenticate the customer 206 using facial recognition or otherbiometrics. The system can also authenticate the customer 206 using ausername and password, pin code, or other similar mechanism.

Referring to FIG. 3C, once the user/customer 206 is authenticated, thesmart device 204 places a call to the representative 202 waiting for thecustomer's 206 call. Thus, a communications channel between therepresentative 202 (e.g., through the representative's 202 computersystem 202 a) and the customer 206 (e.g., through the customer's smartdevice 204) is established. The call may be placed using a voice over IP(VOIP) connection through the app on the smart device 204. Because thecustomer 206 has already been authenticated by the app of the smartdevice 302, the customer 206 may be pre-authenticated 306 for thecommunication with the representative 202. In this manner, therepresentative 202 does not need to ask the customer 206 additionalquestions to verify his identity. As described above, the callinformation may be provided to the smart device 204 as part of theoriginal notification 208. Alternatively, an app executing on the smartdevice 204 may contact the call center (for example, using a secureconnection over a wireless network) to obtain the call information forthe representative 202, for example, by providing an incident report IDand receiving the phone number in exchange.

FIGS. 4A-B illustrate an example of a user scheduling a telephone callbased on a received notification. Referring to FIG. 4A, as describedabove, the customer receives the notification 208 on the smart device204. In this example, the customer elects to schedule a follow up callfor a later time, for example, by pressing the button 212.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the smart device 204 of the user presents a userinterface that enables the user to schedule a date and time of a followup phone call. The customer selects a date and time and selects schedulecall. In some implementations, the customer may provide additionalinformation to the representative, for example, a note that informs therepresentative that the customer is free weekdays after 6.

In some implementations, the scheduled call information is capable ofbeing stored in the user's smart device 204, for example, as a calendarentry 402, a reminder, or as information to enable the smart device toautomatically send a notification to the user when it is time for thecall. The smart device 204 can send the date and time information to acall center computer 406. In some implementations, the information sentto the call center computer 406 also includes information sufficient toidentify the customer and the purpose for the call.

In some implementations, the customer is capable of selecting a “remindme later” icon or a similar action that causes the notification 208 tobe saved on the smart device 204 and redisplayed at a later time (forexample, 30 minutes, an hour, a day, etc.).

In some implementations, if the customer elects to postpone the call, orotherwise does not respond to the notification within a predeterminedperiod of time, then the representative is notified and is able to moveon to helping the next customer.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a representative contacting a customerat a scheduled time. The computer system 406 notifies a representative506 that it is time to call the customer. The notification can includeinformation that describes the reason for the call 508. When therepresentative is ready, the representative can call the customer'ssmart device 510.

In some implementations, the call to the customer's smart device 204 isanother notification, which the user may accept or postpone as describedabove with respect to the initial call. Having the representative 506call the customer has the advantage that the representative 506 has readabout the customers issue and is ready to talk to the customer when thecustomer answers, but can, however, lead to lost time if the customerpushes the call off (via the notifications, as discussed above).

FIGS. 6A-C illustrate an example of a customer calling therepresentative at a scheduled time.

Referring to FIG. 6A, when it is time for the customer to call therepresentative, as scheduled by the customer, the smart device 602 ofthe customer provides a notification 604 on the user interface of thesmart device 602. The user interface of the smart device 602 providesthe customer with the option to place a call 606 or to reschedule thecall 608.

Referring to FIG. 6B, in response to the customer selecting the placecall button 606, the user interface of an app (such as the appassociated with the company) on of the smart device 602 displays anauthentication screen 610. In this example, the authentication screen610 requests a biometric 610 a (e.g., a finger print). As describedabove, other forms of authentication can also be used, for example, thesystem can authenticate the customer using facial recognition or otherbiometrics. The system can also authenticate the customer using ausername and password, pin code, or other similar mechanism.

Referring to FIG. 6C, once the customer 612 is authenticated, the smartdevice 602 may place a call to the representative 614 waiting for thecustomer's call. Thus, a communications channel between the smart device602 and the representative 614 (e.g., a computer system, telephone,etc.) is established. Because the customer 612 has already beenauthenticated by the application of the smart device 602, the customermay be pre-authenticated 616 for the communication with therepresentative 614. In this manner, the representative 614 does not needto ask the customer 612 additional questions to verify his identity. Asdescribed above, the call information may be provided to the smartdevice 602 as part of the original notification. Alternatively, anapplication executing on the smart device 602 may contact the callcenter (for example, using a secure connection over a wireless network)to obtain the call information for the representative, for example, byproviding the incident report id and receiving the phone number inexchange.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 of a process for customer communication.

The process includes receiving (block 702), on a smart device of acustomer, a notification that a representative of an entity would liketo talk to the customer; and

The process includes displaying (block 704), on the smart device, a userinterface that enables the user to accept the call or schedule the callfor another time.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart 800 depicting a method for managing communicationschannels between systems. The method includes initiating a request toestablish a communications channel (block 802), broadcasting anotification (block 804), establishing a communications channel (block806) and prompting a user to select a time (block 808).

At block 802, a representative (e.g., a customer service representative)causes a computer system (or phone) to initiate a request to establish acommunications channel between the computer system and a client deviceof a user (e.g., customer). In some implementations, the communicationschannel is a VOIP communications channel.

At block 804, in response to the initiation of the request, anotification is broadcasted to the client device. In someimplementations, the notification is a push notification. In someimplementations, the notification is broadcasted to a mobile application(“app”) on the client device. The app can be executing on the mobiledevice in the foreground or background state. When the notification isreceived by the client device, the notification causes the client deviceto render a graphical user interface with a first visual representationand a second visual representation. The first visual representationprompts the user to accept the request to establish the communicationschannel. In some implementations, the first visual representation is theaccept call icon 210 discussed previously with reference to FIG. 2 . Thesecond visual representation prompts the user to schedule theestablishing of the communications channel for another time. In someimplementations, the second visual representation is the schedule a callicon 212 discussed previously with reference to FIG. 2 . The graphicaluser interface prompts the user to select the first or second visualrepresentation.

At block 806, when the computer system receives selection dataspecifying that the user of the client device has selected the firstvisual representation (e.g., accept call button), the communicationschannel between the computer system and the client device isestablished. In some implementations, before or during the establishmentof the communications channel, the client device authenticates the userof the client device. In some implementations, the client device (e.g.,the app on the client device) prompts the user to submit one or moretypes of biometric data (e.g., fingerprint, facial features, ocularfeatures, etc.).

At block 808, when the computer system receives selection dataspecifying that the user of the client device selects the second visualrepresentation (e.g., schedule a call icon), one or more third visualrepresentations are caused to display on the client device. The one ormore third visual representations prompt the user of the client deviceto select a time to schedule the establishing of the communicationschannel. In some implementations, the one or more third visualrepresentations include the calendar entry 402 discussed earlier withreference to FIG. 4B.

In some implementations, if the user of the client device does notselect at least one of the first visual representation or the secondvisual representation within a response time threshold (e.g., 5 minutes,10 minutes, etc.), then a second notification is broadcast to the clientdevice. When the client device receives the second notification, theclient device does not allow the user to select the first visualrepresentation. In some implementations, upon receiving the secondnotification, the client device does not allow the user to select thesecond visual representation.

FIG. 9 depicts an example computing system, according to implementationsof the present disclosure. The system 900 may be used for any of theoperations described with respect to the various implementationsdiscussed herein. The system 900 may include one or more processors 910,a memory 920, one or more storage devices 930, and one or moreinput/output (I/O) devices 950 controllable through one or more I/Ointerfaces 940. The various components 910, 920, 930, 940, or 950 may beinterconnected through at least one system bus 960, which may enable thetransfer of data between the various modules and components of thesystem 900.

The processor(s) 910 may be configured to process instructions forexecution within the system 900. The processor(s) 910 may includesingle-threaded processor(s), multi-threaded processor(s), or both. Theprocessor(s) 910 may be configured to process instructions stored in thememory 920 or on the storage device(s) 930. The processor(s) 910 mayinclude hardware-based processor(s) each including one or more cores.The processor(s) 910 may include general purpose processor(s), specialpurpose processor(s), or both.

The memory 920 may store information within the system 900. In someimplementations, the memory 920 includes one or more computer-readablemedia. The memory 920 may include any number of volatile memory units,any number of non-volatile memory units, or both volatile andnon-volatile memory units. The memory 920 may include read-only memory,random access memory, or both. In some examples, the memory 920 may beemployed as active or physical memory by one or more executing softwaremodules.

The storage device(s) 930 may be configured to provide (e.g.,persistent) mass storage for the system 900. In some implementations,the storage device(s) 930 may include one or more computer-readablemedia. For example, the storage device(s) 930 may include a floppy diskdevice, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device.The storage device(s) 930 may include read-only memory, random accessmemory, or both. The storage device(s) 930 may include one or more of aninternal hard drive, an external hard drive, or a removable drive.

One or both of the memory 920 or the storage device(s) 930 may includeone or more computer-readable storage media (CRSM). The CRSM may includeone or more of an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium,an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a quantumstorage medium, a mechanical computer storage medium, and so forth. TheCRSM may provide storage of computer-readable instructions describingdata structures, processes, applications, programs, other modules, orother data for the operation of the system 900. In some implementations,the CRSM may include a data store that provides storage ofcomputer-readable instructions or other information in a non-transitoryformat. The CRSM may be incorporated into the system 900 or may beexternal with respect to the system 900. The CRSM may include read-onlymemory, random access memory, or both. One or more CRSM suitable fortangibly embodying computer program instructions and data may includeany type of non-volatile memory, including but not limited to:semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples,the processor(s) 910 and the memory 920 may be supplemented by, orincorporated into, one or more application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs).

The system 900 may include one or more I/O devices 950. The I/Odevice(s) 950 may include one or more input devices such as a keyboard,a mouse, a pen, a game controller, a touch input device, an audio inputdevice (e.g., a microphone), a gestural input device, a haptic inputdevice, an image or video capture device (e.g., a camera), or otherdevices. In some examples, the I/O device(s) 950 may also include one ormore output devices such as a display, LED(s), an audio output device(e.g., a speaker), a printer, a haptic output device, and so forth. TheI/O device(s) 950 may be physically incorporated in one or morecomputing devices of the system 900, or may be external with respect toone or more computing devices of the system 900.

The system 900 may include one or more I/O interfaces 940 to enablecomponents or modules of the system 900 to control, interface with, orotherwise communicate with the I/O device(s) 950. The I/O interface(s)940 may enable information to be transferred in or out of the system900, or between components of the system 900, through serialcommunication, parallel communication, or other types of communication.For example, the I/O interface(s) 940 may comply with a version of theRS-232 standard for serial ports, or with a version of the IEEE 1284standard for parallel ports. As another example, the I/O interface(s)940 may be configured to provide a connection over Universal Serial Bus(USB) or Ethernet. In some examples, the I/O interface(s) 940 may beconfigured to provide a serial connection that is compliant with aversion of the IEEE 1394 standard.

The I/O interface(s) 940 may also include one or more network interfacesthat enable communications between computing devices in the system 900,or between the system 900 and other network-connected computing systems.The network interface(s) may include one or more network interfacecontrollers (NICs) or other types of transceiver devices configured tosend and receive communications over one or more networks using anynetwork protocol.

Computing devices of the system 900 may communicate with one another, orwith other computing devices, using one or more networks. Such networksmay include public networks such as the internet, private networks suchas an institutional or personal intranet, or any combination of privateand public networks. The networks may include any type of wired orwireless network, including but not limited to local area networks(LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless WANs (WWANs), wireless LANs(WLANs), mobile communications networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, Edge, etc.), andso forth. In some implementations, the communications between computingdevices may be encrypted or otherwise secured. For example,communications may employ one or more public or private cryptographickeys, ciphers, digital certificates, or other credentials supported by asecurity protocol, such as any version of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)or the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol.

The system 900 may include any number of computing devices of any type.The computing device(s) may include, but are not limited to: a personalcomputer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, animplanted computer, a mobile gaming device, an electronic book reader,an automotive computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, anotebook computer, a game console, a home entertainment device, anetwork computer, a server computer, a mainframe computer, a distributedcomputing device (e.g., a cloud computing device), a microcomputer, asystem on a chip (SoC), a system in a package (SiP), and so forth.Although examples herein may describe computing device(s) as physicaldevice(s), implementations are not so limited. In some examples, acomputing device may include one or more of a virtual computingenvironment, a hypervisor, an emulation, or a virtual machine executingon one or more physical computing devices. In some examples, two or morecomputing devices may include a cluster, cloud, farm, or other groupingof multiple devices that coordinate operations to provide loadbalancing, failover support, parallel processing capabilities, sharedstorage resources, shared networking capabilities, or other aspects.

Implementations and all of the functional operations described in thisspecification may be realized in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations may be realized asone or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.The computer readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, amachine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition ofmatter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combinationof one or more of them. The term “computing system” encompasses allapparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by wayof example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processorsor computers. The apparatus may include, in addition to hardware, codethat creates an execution environment for the computer program inquestion, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocolstack, a database management system, an operating system, or acombination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is anartificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical,optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encodeinformation for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) may be written in any appropriate form ofprogramming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, andit may be deployed in any appropriate form, including as a standaloneprogram or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitablefor use in a computing environment. A computer program does notnecessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may bestored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g.,one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a singlefile dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinatedfiles (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, orportions of code). A computer program may be deployed to be executed onone computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification may beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows may also be performedby, and apparatus may also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any appropriate kind of digital computer.Generally, a processor may receive instructions and data from aread-only memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of acomputer can include a processor for performing instructions and one ormore memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, acomputer may also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer maybe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable mediasuitable for storing computer program instructions and data include allforms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by wayof example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Theprocessor and the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may be realizedon a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) orLCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to theuser and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball,by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds ofdevices may be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; forexample, feedback provided to the user may be any appropriate form ofsensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactilefeedback; and input from the user may be received in any appropriateform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Implementations may be realized in a computing system that includes aback end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes amiddleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes afront end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical UI or aweb browser through which a user may interact with an implementation, orany appropriate combination of one or more such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system may be interconnectedby any appropriate form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., acommunication network. Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., theInternet.

The computing system may include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what maybe claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific toparticular implementations. Certain features that are described in thisspecification in the context of separate implementations may also beimplemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely,various features that are described in the context of a singleimplementation may also be implemented in multiple implementationsseparately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, althoughfeatures may be described above as acting in certain combinations andeven initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimedcombination may in some examples be excised from the combination, andthe claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination orvariation of a sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the implementations described above should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemsmay generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various formsof the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, orremoved. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: at least one processor of acomputer system of a customer service representative; and a data storecoupled to the at least one processor having instructions stored thereonwhich, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at leastone processor to perform operations comprising: initiating a request toestablish a communications channel between the computer system of thecustomer service representative and a client device of a user; sending,in response to the initiation of the request, a notification to theclient device that when received by the client device causes the clientdevice to render a graphical user interface with a first visualrepresentation and second visual representation, with the first visualrepresentation prompting the user of the client device to accept therequest to establish the communications channel and the second visualrepresentation prompting the user of the client device to scheduleestablishment of the communications channel for another time, and withthe graphical user interface, when rendered, prompting the user of theclient device to select the first or second visual representations,wherein the graphical user interface, when rendered, further includesidentification information of the customer service representative and areference number corresponding with a purpose for the request; causing,after the computer system receives selection data specifying that theuser of the client device selects the first visual representation,display of one or more fourth visual representations that prompt theuser to provide, through the graphical user interface, authenticationdata of the user; authenticating, by the computer system, the user basedon the authentication data provided by the user; and automaticallyestablishing, by the computer system and only after authenticating theuser, the communications channel between the computer system and theclient device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein sending thenotification to the client device comprises sending the notification toa mobile application on the client device.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the authentication data comprises one or more types of biometricdata.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is a pushnotification.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicationschannel is a voice over internet protocol communications channel.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a thirdvisual representation prompting the user to store the notification onthe client device and cause the client device to render the graphicaluser interface at a later time.
 7. A system comprising: at least oneprocessor of a computer system of a customer service representative; anda data store coupled to the at least one processor having instructionsstored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor,causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:initiating a request to establish a communications channel between thecomputer system of the customer service representative and a clientdevice of a user; sending, in response to the initiation of the request,a notification to the client device that when received by the clientdevice causes the client device to render a graphical user interfacewith a first visual representation and second visual representation,with the first visual representation prompting the user of the clientdevice to accept the request to establish the communications channel andthe second visual representation prompting the user of the client deviceto schedule establishment of the communications channel for anothertime, and with the graphical user interface, when rendered, promptingthe user of the client device to select the first or second visualrepresentations, wherein the graphical user interface, when rendered,further includes identification information of the customer servicerepresentative and a reference number corresponding with a purpose forthe request; and causing, when the computer system receives selectiondata specifying that the user of the client device selects the secondvisual representation, display of one or more third visualrepresentations that prompt the user of the client device to select atime in which the establishing of the communications channel isscheduled.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein sending the notification tothe client device comprises sending the notification to a mobileapplication on the client device.
 9. The system of claim 7, furthercomprising, in response to receiving selection data representing aselected time for scheduling the establishing of the communicationschannel, causing, at the selected time, display of one or more fifthvisual representations that prompt the user to initiate the establishingof the communications channel.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein thenotification is a push notification.
 11. The system claim 7, wherein thecommunications channel is a voice over internet protocol communicationschannel.
 12. The system claim 7, wherein the graphical user interfaceincludes a third visual representation prompting the user to store thenotification on the client device and cause the client device to renderthe graphical user interface at a later time.
 13. A system comprising:at least one processor of a computer system of a customer servicerepresentative; and a data store coupled to the at least one processorhaving instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at leastone processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operationscomprising: initiating a request to establish a communications channelbetween the computer system of the customer service representative and aclient device of a user; sending, in response to the initiation of therequest, a notification to the client device that when received by theclient device causes the client device to render a graphical userinterface with a first visual representation and second visualrepresentation, with the first visual representation prompting the userof the client device to accept the request to establish thecommunications channel and the second visual representation promptingthe user of the client device to schedule establishment of thecommunications channel for another time, and with the graphical userinterface, when rendered, prompting the user of the client device toselect the first or second visual representations, wherein the graphicaluser interface, when rendered, further includes identificationinformation of the customer service representative and a referencenumber corresponding with a purpose for the request; and after waiting athreshold amount of time for the user of the client device to select atleast one of the first visual representation or the second visualrepresentation, sending a second notification to the client device that,when received by the client device, causes the client device to allowthe user to select the second visual representation but preventsselection of the first visual representation.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein sending the notification to the client device comprisessending the notification to a mobile application on the client device.15. The system of claim 13, wherein the notification is a pushnotification.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the communicationschannel is a voice over internet protocol communications channel. 17.The system of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface includes athird visual representation prompting the user to store the notificationon the client device and cause the client device to render the graphicaluser interface at a later time.
 18. One or more on-transitory computerreadable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by atleast one processor, cause the at least one processor to performoperations comprising: initiating a request to establish acommunications channel between a computer system of a customer servicerepresentative and a client device of a user; sending, in response tothe initiation of the request, a notification to the client device thatwhen received by the client device causes the client device to render agraphical user interface with a first visual representation and secondvisual representation, with the first visual representation promptingthe user of the client device to accept the request to establish thecommunications channel and the second visual representation promptingthe user of the client device to schedule establishment of thecommunications channel for another time, and with the graphical userinterface, when rendered, prompting the user of the client device toselect the first or second visual representations, wherein the graphicaluser interface, when rendered, further includes identificationinformation of the customer service representative and a referencenumber corresponding with a purpose for the request; causing, after thecomputer system receives selection data specifying that the user of theclient device selects the first visual representation, display of one ormore fourth visual representations that prompt the user to provide,through the graphical user interface, authentication data of the user;authenticating, by the computer system, the user based on theauthentication data provided by the user; and automaticallyestablishing, by the computer system and only after authenticating theuser, the communications channel between the computer system and theclient device.
 19. One or more on-transitory computer readable storagemedia storing instructions that, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to perform operationscomprising: initiating a request to establish a communications channelbetween a computer system of a customer service representative and aclient device of a user; sending, in response to the initiation of therequest, a notification to the client device that when received by theclient device causes the client device to render a graphical userinterface with a first visual representation and second visualrepresentation, with the first visual representation prompting the userof the client device to accept the request to establish thecommunications channel and the second visual representation promptingthe user of the client device to schedule establishment of thecommunications channel for another time, and with the graphical userinterface, when rendered, prompting the user of the client device toselect the first or second visual representations, wherein the graphicaluser interface, when rendered, further includes identificationinformation of the customer service representative and a referencenumber corresponding with a purpose for the request; and causing, whenthe computer system receives selection data specifying that the user ofthe client device selects the second visual representation, display ofone or more third visual representations that prompt the user of theclient device to select a time in which the establishing of thecommunications channel is scheduled.
 20. One or more on-transitorycomputer readable storage media storing instructions that, when executedby at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to performoperations comprising: initiating a request to establish acommunications channel between a computer system of a customer servicerepresentative and a client device of a user; sending, in response tothe initiation of the request, a notification to the client device thatwhen received by the client device causes the client device to render agraphical user interface with a first visual representation and secondvisual representation, with the first visual representation promptingthe user of the client device to accept the request to establish thecommunications channel and the second visual representation promptingthe user of the client device to schedule establishment of thecommunications channel for another time, and with the graphical userinterface, when rendered, prompting the user of the client device toselect the first or second visual representations, wherein the graphicaluser interface, when rendered, further includes identificationinformation of the customer service representative and a referencenumber corresponding with a purpose for the request; and after waiting athreshold amount of time for the user of the client device to select atleast one of the first visual representation or the second visualrepresentation, sending a second notification to the client device that,when received by the client device, causes the client device to allowthe user to select the second visual representation but preventsselection of the first visual representation.